Durango School District 9-R announced at 8:30 a.m. that schools would remain closed Tuesday because of hazardous road conditions throughout the area. The district initially announced a two-hour delayed start at 5:30 a.m before canceling the day entirely.

Red Mountain Pass, the section of U.S. Highway 550 between Silverton and Ouray, also remains closed because of safety concerns.

Ignacio School District is on winter break, but Bayfield schools will convene as usual.

Durango received only an inch of snow overnight and could accumulate another half inch throughout the day Tuesday. Weather is expected to clear by Wednesday, before snow appears in the forecast again Thursday night.

9-R spokeswoman Karla Sluis said she could not predict whether schools would open Wednesday.

“I don’t know that anybody expected the storm to continue and for roads to be as hazardous as they were (Tuesday morning),” she said.

The district makes closure decisions based on condition reports from staff and the recommendation of the Office of Emergency Management, which uses input from a number of agencies including the Colorado Department of Transportation, La Plata Electric Association, the city of Durango and La Plata County.

School closure announcements can be found on the district’s website.

rschafir@durangoherald.com